Free as a Bird
by TakeMeOrLeaveMe2010
Summary: What Michelle Lennon wanted was to find her father. PostATU. -multichapter fic- Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

There was one thing Michelle Lennon wanted more than anything else

**Okay. **

**I'm so sorry, but I'm having MAJOR writer's block for "Eleanor Rigby." While I was in one of my creative states, this idea sort of popped into my head and wouldn't leave.**

**So I'm posting this so maybe I can get out of my block. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Michelle and Rose.**

**--**

There was one thing Michelle Lennon wanted more than anything else. It wasn't a boyfriend, she already had one of those. It wasn't good grades in school, she could honestly care less. No, what Michelle Lennon wanted was to find her father.

By the time she was twelve, she had figured out that she hadn't gotten her striking cerulean eyes from her mother, whose were a soft hazel. She realized that there was a reason tints of blonde mixed with her brunette tresses, while her mother's were a rich, dark brown straight through. And she assumed her careless attitude had certainly not come from her hardworking mother. But then, it only been a slight curiosity.

Now, she was sixteen and dying to know who he was, where he was, and why the hell she hadn't ever met him. But every time she hinted at the notion, her mother clammed up and would say very little on the subject. She never understood why, Rose Lennon seemed perfectly content with her life and regretted very little.

Then, when her mother had brought over an old friend from the city, something piqued. The woman had golden locks that cascaded down her back; nothing too obscure about that. But the minute Michelle noticed they shared the same blue eyes, she started paying close attention.

Lucy Feeney was her name. She seemed nice enough, beautiful and sweet. But she saw her eyes flicker in interest when her mother introduced the two. And when Michelle had skulked back to her room, she heard hushed, urgent whispering emanating through the walls. She had pressed her ear to the wall, desperate to know what they were talking about, but she couldn't make out anything important.

When Mrs. Feeney left, Michelle came out of her bedroom and leaned against the doorframe to their living room, ready to have her questions answered.

"So…where do you know that woman from, Mom?" she asked casually.

"The city. I lived there, you know, when I was 20 or so."

Michelle snorted a little. "_You_ were a hippie?" Her mother chuckled.

"Not exactly, though I did do my fair share of experimenting, which you will _not_ do, you understand?" Michelle rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mother…but anyway, you room with her or something?"

"Yeah, I had a bunch of roommates. Singers and songwriters, mostly. Though there was Jude-"

"Jude?"

"Jude Feeney, Lucy's husband. He was the artist of our little group. You'd never catch him wearing anything without paint or charcoal stains on it."

"How'd him and Lucy meet?"

Her mother stared at her quizzically. "You're just full of questions today, aren't you? Normally, I can barely get you to say two words to me when I ask you something."

Michelle shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just curious; you never tell me anything exciting about your life, just 'oh! I got a promotion!' or 'Bill's getting married' or other shit I don't care about."

"Watch your language, young lady. And it wasn't all that exciting. It's just how we lived."

"Okay…" She flopped down on the couch across from her mother, folding her legs in underneath her. "You still didn't answer my question, though."

"Well…I-I'm not quite sure, they were already together when I first moved in…" Ms. Lennon said carefully, obviously leaving something out of the conversation. That caused the wheels in her daughter's head to spin. You could almost assume nowadays whenever Mrs. Lennon treaded cautiously around a subject, it had something to do with her father.

"So, how many roommates did you have?"

"Oh, gosh, too many to count. Let's see, there was Lucy and Jude, Prudence, Sadie, JoJo, Desmond, Ellie…eight…yeah, there was eight."

"Who was the eighth?"

Michelle had hit the jackpot as her mother turned a furious shade of scarlet. "I…I don't remember his name…"

"His?"

"Erm, yes."

"Uh-huh…" Michelle realized this was as much information as her mother was going to give her, so she pushed herself out of the couch, saying "Okay, thanks for the life story, Mom."

"Oh…you're welcome," she responded vaguely, her mind on other matters.

Michelle shuffled back into her room and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. So her dad had roomed with her mother, that certainly explained a lot. He also had some relation to the woman who had come by earlier, maybe his sister? That's all she knew at this point, but she was now more determined to find this mystery man who had apparently swept her mother off her feet.

--

**I am probably horribly stupid to have two multi-chapter fics going at the same time, but stupid is as stupid does.**

**Review, if you please.**


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks after Mrs

**Okay.**

**So cookies to toujoursFrance.**

**Please review, I know I didn't put up much last time, but let me know how I'm doing!**

**--**

Three weeks after Mrs. Feeney had visited the Lennons', the start of summer break for Michelle, the phone rang around nine. Enjoying the benefits of sleeping in, she groaned at the obnoxious ringing interrupting her sleep. When she realized her mother was at work, she sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.

"This is Officer Jenkins of the Cook County Penitentiary…" answered a man with a horrendous Southern twang.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, I just wanted to inform you that-" The man continued loudly, but in her half-asleep daze Michelle only caught half the things he said. She dug around for a notepad and wrote down everything she heard.

_Carrigan…Knew a Rose Lennon…Bail…_

She realized that the officer was looking for her mother, so she told him vaguely that she wasn't home right now, but that she'd call back later this afternoon. After a bit more nonsense and taking down the number, she finally got him to hang up. Rolling over, she fell back into her peaceful slumber and thought no more of it.

She was eating breakfast in her pajamas by the time Ms. Lennon came home from work. She glared disapprovingly at her daughter as she walked through the kitchen.

"I see you've had a productive day," she said sarcastically, scanning her bedclothes in dismay. Michelle shrugged.

"It's summer, Mom. I deserve a break from getting up early and going to school."

"Not that you did anything productive there either," her mother said, her frown deepening. "Your report card came yesterday. Four D's?"

"Whoops…"

Ms. Lennon sighed. "Michelle Valerie…" she trailed off before shaking her head and disappearing into her own room to change. Her daughter rolled her eyes. She and her mom got along great most of the time, but one thing they always butted heads on were her grades. She wasn't planning on anything more than a community college, not to her mother's knowledge of course. So what was the point of acing all her pointless courses? There were better things to do than learn how to apply differential equations.

The phone rang, and Michelle picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe." A smile instantly grew on her face, knowing who that deep, sexy voice belonged to.

"Hey…" she murmured, bringing her knees to her chest in the chair.

"I haven't seen you since school got out, what's the deal with that?"

"Yeah, I know. Mom's been crazy busy, I guess."

"Anyways, you want to go out tonight? Maybe into the city?"

"Hold on a sec…" Michelle got up from her chair and shuffled down the hallway towards her mother's room. She knocked on the door before shouting "Can I go out with Jake tonight, Mom?"

There was a long pause on the other side, then an eventual sigh. "Yes, I suppose…" She rushed back into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Yeah, I can go."

"I want you back by no later than midnight, you understand?" yelled her mother from her room. Her daughter groaned and directed her attention back to the phone. "I have to be back by midnight, though."

"No problem. I'll pick you up at six, okay?"

"Okay…love you."

"Love you, too, babe."

She hung up and bounced eagerly in her chair. She had no idea how she had ever snagged Jake, one of the most sought-after boys in her school. But when they had sat next together in English class, they clicked. Next thing she knew, he asked her to homecoming, and girls she had never met before swarmed her in jealousy. Michelle had shrugged, but was secretly vindicated by their envious glances.

Ms. Lennon appeared seconds later, dressed in casual jeans and a pretty magenta top. "You know I don't like you spending so much time with that boy…"

"_Mom_, I haven't seen him in three weeks! Give me a break-"

"He's partly the reason your grades were so low, spending the night out with him instead of studying…" Michelle huffed and crossed her arms, but didn't respond due to her mother speaking words of truth. Not that she cared. She would much rather hang out with Jake or her friends than studying for her Calculus final.

Her phone call reminded her of the one she had received this morning. Desperate to change the subject, she said "Oh yeah, someone called for you super early this morning…some officer from Cook County?"

Ms. Lennon looked at her quizzically. "Cook County? There's no Cook County around here…what did they want?"

"The guy was talking a million miles a minute, so I only caught about half of what he said. Somebody named 'Carrigan' knows you, something about bail-"

"Hold on a minute. Did you say Carrigan?"

"Yeah…"

Her mother's face went beet red. Her brows furrowed and she began to viciously tap her nails against the table.

"Did you take down the number?"

"Yeah, hold on…" Michelle went to her bedroom, got the note, then gave it to her mother, curious about what all her flustering was about. Her mother picked up the phone and dialed the number. She was going to sit and watch, but her mother shooed her away.

After waiting in her bedroom for about an hour, the door flew open suddenly. Her mother came in, troubled as ever, and grabbed Michelle's purse off the chair. She looked at her mom in utter confusion.

"What the hell, Mom-"

"Come on, you're coming with me," interrupted Ms. Lennon abruptly. Her daughter sat up on her bed slowly.

"Where?"

"Just come on, we need to go now." Michelle had never seen her mother so discombobulated and out-of-sorts before. Something was definitely up.

"I have my date with Jake tonight-"

"Cancel it later when we make a pit stop. Just come _on_," she said, forcefully pulling her daughter out of her bed and dragging her into the kitchen. Before Michelle could protest, she was thrown her coat, taken out of the house and shoved into the car.

After about fifteen minutes, she could no longer hold her tongue.

"Where are we _going_, Mom?"

"You'll see."

She groaned and leaned her head against the car window in frustration. "Jake's going to be pissed at me, you know."

"And I'm going to be pissed at you if you keep complaining, so just relax for right now, alright?!" snapped her mother in response. Seeing it wise to let it go, Michelle obliged.

The hours wore on and the day grew steadily darker. Michelle's stomach rumbled. The Cap'n Crunch she had devoured that afternoon hadn't been much.

"Mom, I'm starving." she said eventually. Without saying a word, they pulled into the nearest diner ten minutes later. Her mother dashed out of the car, and came back later with a burger and fries in a sack for both of them. She handed it to her silently, started up the car again, and sped off.

As she munched on her dinner, Michelle looked out the window at the endless rows of corn fields rushing by her, wondering why it seemed her mother was speeding towards nowhere.

--

**So, sorry I had to write two set-up chapters, but we can't jump the gun here.**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! They are always appreciated.**

**Italics are Michelle's thoughts.**

**Happy reading!**

**--**

"Michelle…Michelle…"

Michelle awoke to blinding sunlight and her mother's arm shaking her gently. She grumbled sleepily and sat up farther in her passenger seat. Ms. Lennon gave her a quick nod before saying "We'll be stopping in a few minutes. Now, I want you to come in with me, but don't say _anything_, you understand? No matter what happens."

She nodded vaguely, and before she knew it, they pulled into Cook County Penitentiary. Her mother pulled into a parking space, and stopped. As the two of them got out of the car, Michelle couldn't help but ask "Where _are_ we?"

"Ohio, I think, now nothing more comes out of your mouth." Michelle normally would've protested to her mother's bossy and snappish attitude with her, but because she was more curious than annoyed at this point, she kept her mouth shut.

As they walked into the jail, her mother signed them in at the front desk, and then they were led down a long, narrow hallway by a sturdy looking police officer. They soon entered the holding cells were located, and the door was shut behind them.

A very fat officer sat in a chair next to a particular cell. When he saw the two walk in, he smiled a toothy grin and got up, waddling over to them slowly.

"Hello, I'm Officer Jenkins, Miss…?"

"Carrigan, Mrs. Carrigan," responded her mother, shaking his hand politely.

_Carrigan?_ Michelle thought to herself quizzically. _Mrs.? _ _What the hell, Mom?_

"What seems to be the problem, officer?"

"Well, your mister here was drivin' under the influence of alcohol, and when he pulled over, we found a kilo of crack cocaine taped underneath…sped off like the devil, he did, took hours to catch him again. He's a slick one, I'll give you that."

Ms. Lennon laughed, though Michelle noticed the falseness behind it. "Yes, well, we'll be sure to keep him under control next time."

Just then, a man not much older than her mother came into sight from within the cell, leaning his arms comfortably against the bars. Long, blonde bangs hung loosely in front of his handsome face, though piercing blue eyes were visible through his scraggly mop of hair. He beamed crookedly at Michelle's mother.

"Rosie?" he said, his deep, raspy voice echoing throughout the room. Her mother sauntered over to him, took one of his hands and kissed it, leaving her daughter to watch awkwardly and wonder who the hell was this man.

"Hey, honey," she murmured, eyeing him seductively. "You get yourself into trouble again?"

"You know me. Always on the run from something," he said with a devious grin. Ms. Lennon turned back to the officer.

"Is he free to go?"

Officer Jenkins sighed. "I suppose…as long as you pay the ticket and the bail. He'll get his license revoked, you know."

"That won't be a problem. I don't mind driving him around too much," she said, sharing a smirk with the criminal. She dug through her purse and pulled out her checkbook. From the forced expression on her mother's face, it was clear the bail was hefty. She gave it to the officer. He opened the cell, and the man strode out, shaking out his long, lithe limbs and sighing in relief.

Michelle kept her eyes glued to the man her mother had just bailed out. There was something about him that was familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Her mother slipped an arm through that of the alleged man, and Michelle followed them uneasily to the lobby. After signing out, her mother turned to the officer and flashed a dazzling grin.

"Thank you, Officer Jenkins."

"No problem, ma'am."

They stepped out into the beautiful, cool outside. Michelle gave a huff, ready to finally ask the millions of questions she wanted answered. But before she could, her mother broke their linked arms and smacked the man smartly across his cheek.

He chuckled as he stumbled, shaking his head and smiling at her in wonder. "Ah, _there's_ the Rose I remember."

"I swear to God, Maxwell Carrigan, if I have to bail you out _one more time_…"

"You won't do a thing. You know you secretly enjoy it." Ms. Lennon raised her hand again to strike him, but he brought her hand down forcefully. "I understood you the first time, babe."

"It's _Rose_ to you. And apologize to her for ruining her date; She's a bit old to be babysat, but I wasn't going to leave her alone while I saved your ass," she said, pointing to Michelle. When he took a good look at her, his eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates.

"Is that my Michelle?" he said dubiously as he walked over to her. He slid a warm, rough hand over her cheek, a slight grin tugging at his lips. Michelle furrowed her brows and inched away from his hand, thoroughly tempted to slap it away. He noticed her uncomfortable body language, and uneasily brought his hand down and shoved it into his pocket.

"You grew up fast, girl."

"Yes, she did, and _you _should've been around to watch it!" her mother cut in indignantly. The former convict rolled his eyes.

"Here we go…"

"What, you just expect me to see you get you out of something every five years or so, gladly drop you off to wherever you please, and not say anything about you never showing your face around us anymore?"

He sighed and shut his eyes wearily. "Rosie, do you really want to do this now? In front of her?"

"_Don't bring her into this_."

"Isn't that the real reason why you brought her here? To bring her into this?"

"Okay, normally, I love being fought over, but what the _hell _are you two talking about?" Michelle said, waving her arms wildly to stop their little argument. She figured if she didn't intrude, the two of them would be at for days. She simply wanted to know who this guy was, why her mother had driven across three fucking states to get him out of jail, and then go home to her most-likely pissed off boyfriend.

"Michelle…" her mother trailed off before groaning in frustration. That one groan from her mother made everything click in her mind. She looked at the man, Max Carrigan his name was. Salient blue eyes, scraggly blonde hair, careless attitude…how had she not noticed it before?

She kept her eyes locked on him, shell-shocked and for once at a loss for words.

"Mom, is this…is this _Dad?_" she inquired finally, looking between the two. Max turned incredulously to Rose.

"You didn't even tell her?!"

"I didn't want to tell her that her father left her for a hooker in Jersey!"

"Just _shut the fuck up_, would you?!" Michelle exclaimed, known for her quick temper. To her surprise, both of them fell silent; her mother didn't even scold her for the bad language. After an uncomfortably long silence, she exhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing mind.

"Okay…so…shit…"

"So…so this is where you've gone those times when you just randomly left for four days?"

"Well, it's kind of varied across the New England part of the country," Rose replied, glowering at Max while she spoke, "but yes, getting him out of things was what I was doing."

"So, instead of going on a business trip, you were getting him out of jail and then playing fuck buddies, am I right?"

Max couldn't help but snort at his daughter's venomous sarcasm. "That's _definitely_ my kid."

"Shut up," both of them snarled simultaneously. Rose turned her attention back on Michelle's previous comment. "And as for you, young lady, I did not go play 'fuck buddies' as you so rudely stated. I also suggest you drop the attitude if you want any more questions answered."

"I just met my _dad_, for God's sake! Just because you hate him doesn't meet me I would! I've never even seen a fucking picture of him. And you…" She faced her father, who looked indifferent but his eyes revealed his apparent guilt "You didn't even try to meet me. Ever. Why? Am I just a disgraceful child out of wedlock who doesn't deserve to see her own dad?"

Neither of them said anything. Hurt tears burned at Michelle's eyes. She couldn't believe neither of them had any answers for her. She threw her arms up in defeat, walked over to the car, and got in the backseat, buckling her seat belt.

"Take me home. I don't know why you brought me here…please, just take me home," she said as tears ran down her cheeks. The two adults exchanged glances, then also shuffled over to the car. Max got in the front seat while her mother took the driver's side. Slowly, they pulled out of the parking lot and made their way down the street.

The car ride was stonily silent. Michelle angrily brushed away her tears. _Well, I got what I wanted didn't I? I met him. _She was disappointed and glad at the same time that her father seemed to be a reckless bum, bed-hopping across the East Coastline. Part of her didn't want him to see him settled down and married with kids. But he had waited sixteen years to meet her, and their reunion wasn't even his idea.

Although, as they continued driving, she did notice that he was constantly looking at her through the rearview mirror, and for a split second, she was pretty sure a smile lingered in those bright blue eyes.

--

**Argggg….angst. **

**Ah well. Life ain't perfect.**

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Somewhere along the way, the three of them stopped at a gas station. Michelle wandered mindlessly out of the car, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk and watching the beautiful Eastern sun setting. She sighed, pushing wavy tresses out her face.

"Mind if I join you?" said a voice behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing her father leaning comfortably against the brick building, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Do I really have a choice?" she retorted bitterly. He grinned.

"You wanted to meet me, right? Here I am." She turned away from him in disgust; his insensitivity was bugging the shit out of her. She would've told him to fuck off, but she had the feeling he wouldn't even if she asked him to.

"I didn't leave immediately, you know," he said. She didn't respond, so he continued. "I just about lost my shit when your mom said she was pregnant, but I stayed until you were about two."

"Why did you leave, then?" she asked nonchalantly. Max sighed as he sat down next to her.

"It's kinda complicated…"

"The hooker in Jersey?" she said cynically, though he could've sworn a grin played at her lips. He chuckled a little.

"The hooker in Jersey…" he repeated, and she couldn't tell whether he was reaffirming her statement or not. She decided to expand further on the subject to get more out of him.

"I understand. Why raise a family when you can have one night stands with women you don't even know the names of?"

"Hey, hey, hey, that wasn't the only reason. Actually, I think your mother wanted me out, but she knew she couldn't take care of you alone. The whole hooker thing…well, it wasn't something I planned on doing, it just sorta happened. Crazy shit happens when you're hammered out of your mind and high as a kite." He glanced somewhat nostalgically up at the sky, shaking his head and grinning (something Michelle noticed he did a lot.) He put out his cigarette, then directed his attention back to her.

"You look _so_ much like your mom," he said, gently putting two hands to her face so that he could get a good look at her. He smiled as she looked at him, lightly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "There's definitely some of me in you, but damn…"

She let him touch her; truthfully, his warm, rough hands against her face felt strangely comforting. Finally, he brought his hands down and stood up, brushing the gritty bits of dirt off of his jeans.

"Better head back to the car before she starts wondering where we are…" he said. He offered Michelle his hand, which she took after a moment of hesitation. After helping his daughter up, the two of them walked back towards the car. He dug through his pockets for another cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

Rose was waiting for them somewhat impatiently, leaning against the car. When she saw them, she straightened herself out.

"There you are. Look, I don't feel like driving all night, so we're stopping at motel along the way."

Michelle was going to ask where they would be dropping Max off at, if anywhere, but at the same time she really didn't want to know. They got back into the car, drove for a couple more hours, then stopped at little motel, still in middle of nowhere.

By the time they got a room, it was very late and Michelle fell asleep before she hit the bed. Because it would be a bit awkward for the two exes to share a bed, Rose shared a bed with her daughter while Max bunked alone.

Michelle didn't sleep well at all, mostly falling in and out of an unconscious daze. Sometime early that morning, she heard the rumblings of someone hurriedly getting out of bed. She cracked an eye open, but couldn't see much more than a fast-moving blur running about the room.

"Michelle?" her father said somewhere above her. Her eyes instantly flew shut, pretending to be asleep. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently.

"Michelle?" he said again. She didn't respond. He sighed loudly, placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then left her vicinity. She wasn't sure where he went; she could've sworn she heard the front door being cautiously closed, but she assumed he had gone out for a cigarette break or to get breakfast in the lobby. Thinking no more of it, she managed to drift off.

She woke a couple hours later, sunlight peeking through the thick, dirty windows. She yawned and sat up in the bed, stretching a little. When she noticed no one lie in the bed next to her, she glanced around and found her mother staring out the window, a small note in her hand.

As she got up and walked over to Rose, Michelle noticed the clearly exasperated look on her face.

"Where's…where is he?" she asked. Ms. Lennon sighed, and gestured to the note.

"See for yourself," she said as Michelle took the note. It read, in his untidy scrawl:

_Caught a ride with a trucker heading towards Carolina._

_Thanks, Rosie!_

_Max_

"Carolina? Why the hell would he want to go to Carolina?" Rose muttered irritably, taking the note from her daughter's hand and throwing it in the trash. Michelle leaned against the window ledge as her mother straightened out the sheets on the bed.

"Why'd you date him, Mom? I mean, he's not exactly your type," she inquired with a touch of a smirk.

"That's probably the reason I dated him. The only type I had dated in high school were straight-A quarterbacks heading off to an Ivy League. Dependable, but boring. Your father, on the other hand, was not in least responsible; he must have forgotten dinners out at least five or six times a year. But he was strange and unique and _different. _And he'd date anything if it was attractive enough. He probably still would."

"He was adventurous; foolish, but wise in a strange sort of way. He seemed to know everything about…everything. Not much caught him off guard…except for that stupid war…" her mother trailed off, inaudibly to her daughter. Michelle absently twisted wavy strands of hair around her finger as she continued her inquisitions.

"Why didn't you tell me about him, and don't just say because I didn't feel like telling you. I want an answer," she demanded firmly, staring at her mother with blazing blue eyes. Rose stopped her bed-making and sighed.

"I wish I could give you a straight reason; I know that what's you want to hear. It was a number of things. In the beginning, I had the crazy notion he might show up again. I was sure when I bailed him out the first time he'd come back with me. But he left a note just like he did this morning.."

"Then those hopes failed, and…well, I didn't want you to think he left because of you. Even I don't know the exact reason why he left…did he tell you?"

Michelle hesitated, but figured it would be best if her mother did not know. She shook her head. "No, he didn't tell me anything," she lied slickly.

"He probably can't even remember…but never mind that…" Ms. Lennon came up to her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "You were right…I didn't appreciate the snappish attitude, but I understand why you were so frustrated…you did deserve to know, and…I'm sorry."

Michelle suppressed the urge to give her mother a dubious look. Rarely did she ever apologize to her daughter for anything. She felt her actions were always rational or she had good reason for everything she did. But she only nodded, giving her mom a little smile. Ms. Lennon returned it and gave her daughter a light kiss on the cheek.

"We'd better head home, I've got to work tomorrow," she said with a bit of a groan. They gathered up what little they had, checked out of the room, then hit the road.

As Michelle watched the strange rows of cornfields slowly disappear into the familiar sites and sounds of the urban towns, she thought back over the last couple days. She'd met her _dad_. That fact was still hard to get over. He wasn't exactly what she expected, but everything at least made some sort of sense. She still couldn't figure out how her mother had been so crazy for him that she had willingly carried his child. Or perhaps it wasn't willingly. And she didn't understand why her mother hadn't at least gone looking for him. These unanswered questions swirled in her head as they finally came back into the NYC suburb, and she couldn't help but wonder what shenanigans her father was getting into over in Carolina.

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**Yes, I love quick updates, don't you?**

**Glad you are liking the story, which is FAR from over, btw.**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Arg…sorry, writer's block got to me ********.**

**Thank you for being faithful and continuing to read…it doesn't help I've got a million fics going on at the same time…okay, so maybe it's only two, but still :D.**

**--**

Michelle and Rose got home late that night. Rose sighed as she tossed her keys to the side, muttering "I need some aspirin" before disappearing into her bedroom. Michelle walked into their kitchen to check the answering machine, seeing three new messages.

All three were from Jake. The first one was a simple reminder that he'd be picking her up in about an hour. The second one was a little perturbed, but mostly calm questioning of where she was. The third one wasn't an all-out scream fest, but he was definitely pissed. As she listened to them, she closed her eyes and her head drooped in dismay. She had completely forgotten about calling him to let him know where she was. Meeting her father had obliterated any other thoughts in her head. She made a mental note to call him first thing in the morning.

She threw her purse off to the side, and ambled into her room. As soon as the door was shut behind her, she collapsed on her bed. She found herself unable to fall asleep; every time she closed her eyes, her father, grinning that crooked grin of his, would appear. Now that she had met him, she felt herself having the same wish her mother did. That he would come back. She wished that he had least said goodbye to her in the note he left. She sighed and rolled over, almost having the desire that she would've never met him. She wouldn't have these conflicting feelings running through her mind.

Michelle did eventually fall into a fitful slumber, waking up at noon the next day. Remembering that she needed to call Jake, she rubbed her eyes and scampered into the kitchen. She picked up the phone, fell into a chair, and dialed his number.

"Hello?"

"Hey…it's me."

"Where the _hell_ were you last night? I waited for an hour an a half!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I forgot-"

"You _forgot_?!" Michelle dropped her head into her hand and sighed. She loved Jake, but he had a quick, flaring temper just like she did, and it was sometimes difficult to be patient with him.

"Listen to me; just let me explain…you'll never guess what happened."

"What?" he snapped icily.

"…I met my dad, Jake," she said quietly, bringing her knees to her chest. There was a long pause.

"'Chelle…are you serious?" he inquired, his tone softening instantly.

"Yeah…I got this really weird call that morning; it some officer from Cook County in fucking Ohio. It was early, like nine, so I didn't exactly catch every thing he said-"

"You stay up too late," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up," she retorted, but he could hear her grinning. "…anyway, the only things I caught were the name Carrigan, that he needed bail and he knew my mom."

"Carrigan's your dad?"

"Yeah…I didn't know it at that point, but Mom sure did. She just immediately freaked out once she knew, dragged me to the car, and next thing I know we're in the middle of nowhere bailing my dad out of jail…" She exhaled shakily, still not believing all of that had happened in the course of a few days.

"Michelle, I'm sorry…for yelling at you and everything-"

"Don't be. You didn't know."

"…are you okay? You seem a bit shaken up."

She sighed. "I'm alright…I guess. I just…I don't know…"

"I'll be over in ten minutes."

Michelle couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Jake. I'll leave the door unlocked." Both of them hung up at the same time, and she moved into the living room to wait for him patiently. As soon as he came through the door and looked at her with concern, she wasn't sure what it was, but she broke down.

She wasn't one for displaying her emotions. Sure, she had no problem speaking her mind, but things like opening up and crying made her vulnerable in her mind. However, with all that had happened, she found she could not keep her feelings bottled up anymore.

Jake instantly came over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She let her head fall into his neck and continued to sob. He rocked her gently, kissing the top of her head and shushing her.

"It'll be okay, 'Chelle…it'll be okay."

--

Weeks passed, and eventually her father diminished from a vivid image to a foggy memory. He hadn't called, written, or anything since they met, and each day a little bit more was lost. Though her mother didn't seem at all perturbed, Michelle would occasionally catch her staring dismally off into space and sighing loudly multiple times, which she could only assume was the result of her rescue mission. But they both tried to push him out of their heads, enjoying the short summer as long as they could.

One particular morning, when both girls were home, the phone rang. Rose answered.

"Hello?"

"Rosie? Is that you?"

"Yes…who is this?" There were few people who called her "Rosie," so she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"It's Sadie, honey."

Rose laughed merrily. "Sades! It's been forever! How are you?"

"Good, good, singin' like always. How are things in Jersey?" she inquired, and Rose could practically hear her smirking on the other end.

"Just wonderful, thank you very much."

"You know I'm just messing with you. Hey, me and Jo are taking the summer off of the tour, and we're trying to get the gang back together."

"Oh, really?…continue."

"Well, it's been ages since we've all been in the same place at once, I mean…Luce and Jude are here, but we miss the rest of you guys."

"Hmm…" Rose sat down opposite her daughter, who was currently oblivious to the conversation as she munched on her cereal. "How long are we talking?"

Sadie snorted a little. "You expect me to have the details, honey…you must have forgotten about my style. Stay as long as you like, a week, a month, the whole summer…doesn't matter to me."

Rose sighed and bit her lip. The nagging part of her mind was reminding her she had a job to do and a daughter to take care of. However, the other part was telling her she could afford and use a break from her mind-numbingly easy clerical work, and that Sadie probably would not mind if she brought Michelle along with her.

"Ah, what the heck, sure! I'll be there," she said eventually with a grin. "Can I bring Michelle with me?" When she heard her name mentioned, Michelle finally looked up from her cereal bowl and glanced quizzically at her mother.

"Of course! She'll get a taste of the exciting city life she's been wanting, I'm sure. I'm not sure when everyone else is coming…I would say a week or two."

"Sounds great; we'll be there."

"Wonderful! See you then, hon."

"Bye."

As she hung up the phone, Michelle raised her eyebrows questioningly as her mother did not immediately reveal any parts of her conversation.

"So…where are we going?" she inquired finally, when she could no longer stand the silence.

"Oh, just a little place called the East Village."

Her eyes widened in excitement. "In the city?"

"Yep."

"Really?" she said doubtfully, though a grin slowly began to grow on her face.

"Mm-hmm."

"For how long?"

"I don't know, how does a month sound?" Her daughter nodded vigorously. So far, their vacations had consisted of trips to the relatives for holidays, and a short vacation in Chicago. Otherwise, neither of them had the time to go on vacation. So, even though it was only an hour or so away by subway, it was _still_ the East Village.

"When are we going?" she asked.

"How about we leave…next Monday? Is that alright with you?"

Michelle nodded and then smiled. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Rose came to her daughter and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not that much of a monster, am I? And I figured we needed a little vacation after everything that's happened."

She kissed the top of her daughter's forehead and went off to her bedroom for a moment. Once the door was closed, she sighed. Her own words swirled in her mind. _I figured we needed a little vacation after everything that's happened._ How this thought hadn't crossed her mind while she was talking to Sadie, she didn't know, but she had just realized that Max had been a part of that gang. She, of course, wasn't completely positive that he would be there. He probably had got himself twisted into another fix in Carolina, she thought bitterly to herself.

But what could she say to Michelle? _Sorry, we can't go to the East Village anymore because I can't face your father?_ That hardly seemed fair, and there was a good chance he wouldn't be there anyway. So, she shook the nagging worries out of her head and grinned. No matter what happened, it was sure to be an interesting month.

--

The motel room phone rang obnoxiously loud. Two sleepy groans came from within covers, and they were thrown off with disgust.

"I'll get it," Max mumbled to Claire…or was it Rose? He honestly didn't remember, and he honestly didn't give a shit. He blindly felt around on the small nightstand and eventually felt the cool plastic against his fingers. He picked it up and brought to his ear.

"Hullo?" he said thickly. Whomever was on the other end snorted in amusement.

"Caught you a bad time, honey?" That smoky, sultry voice was unmistakable, but he was pretty sure he was hearing things. He shook his head a little, thinking because of the fact he had been so rudely awakened he hadn't heard correctly.

"Sadie?" he inquired dubiously.

Her chuckles on the other end contradicted his disbeliefs. "Yeah, it's me. What are you doin'?"

He glanced awkwardly behind him at…whatever her name was, whom was very confused and also very naked. As was he…Christ, this was weird.

"Umm…nothing, nothing much, why are you calling me?" he said, cutting to the chase, though he couldn't help but wonder how his seductive ex-landlady became so cheery at this ungodly hour of the morning…or afternoon.

"Just wanted to get the old gang back together this summer, you know, for old time's sake. You in?" Now he was really lost. He had understood what she was saying, but her direct question had messed with his slumbering head. He shut his eyes and yawned.

"Um, I'm in North Carolina right now, Sadie."

"And? Your point?"

"…I don't exactly have means of getting there anytime soon."

"Oh, you know your sister will pick you up for it."

"Yeah, and she'll bitch the whole way about how 'irresponsible' I am…" he said bitterly, but he nodded, things becoming a bit less foggy. "But yeah, I'm in."

"Sweet. I'll send her down." Max nodded and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Then a thought crossed his mind, and he couldn't believe he hadn't questioned her before.

"Wait, how will she know I'm here…how do _you_ know I'm here??"

"Ah, you know. Through the grapevine." He opened his mouth to further question, but shook his head and figured he really didn't want to know.

"When will Luce be here?" he finally inquired.

"Couple days. I'll send her down. See you then, hon."

"'Bye."

Max hung up the phone and sighed as he collapsed into his bed. The lovely lady from the previous night huffed, and rolled her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Who was that?" she snapped coldly.

"Hmm? Oh. Her. She's a friend from New York, that's all."

"A friend, huh?" she said, trailing off. Max realized he remembered very little from last night, but he couldn't believe he had forgotten his lovely's horrendous southern accent. Or how he had managed to have his way with her without her driving him insane.

"Tell me, why'd you tell this 'Sadie' girl that I'm nothin'?" she spat, jumping out of bed and starting to pull her clothes on. After his brain clicked and understood what his side of the conversation had consisted of, Max did the same, though he did not put in much effort to stop her. It was too damn early in the…afternoon for any arguments.

"Come on, now, don't go…" he begged with weak conviction as she was heading off towards the door. She spun on her heel and smacked him smartly across the face. He hissed in pain, putting a hand to his cheek.

"You're an ass," she said simply before stalking out the door and slamming it behind her.

He groaned as he headed over to his bed, plopping down on it heavily. "Why do they always hit me, then leave? Couldn't they just leave…" he muttered absently to himself.

"Well," he continued with himself "Hopefully Sades still doesn't mind hookers…"

--

**Not my best chapter ever written, I'm afraid. But again, it's set up.**

**Review anyway, if you don't mind :D.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, this is it," said Rose as she opened the trunk to the taxi

**I'm so sorry for the ridiculously long-awaited update.**

**I'll try to be better!**

**And sorry for the multiple emails that say "New Chapter." My computer was being really stupid.**

**--**

"What? No lecture from you this time? Is the apocalypse coming?"

Lucy gave her brother a light smack, but smiled.

"Did it ever occur to you that I missed my own brother, enough for me to drive out to the middle of nowhere and bring him back for the summer?"

"I was going to drop in sometime…"

"You must be running out of money." Max flashed her a sheepish grin.

"You know me too well, sister dear."

She chuckled knowingly. He sighed and slid down in the passenger seat so that he could rest his long legs on top of the dashboard. He closed in his eyes with intentions of dozing off, but he was rudely interrupted by his sister's hand.

"I'm not going to drive the whole way, you know. I drove the whole way down, so I expect you to at least do half-way back."

"But...you're the better driver," he said, knowing that was probably the worst excuse he could possibly come up with, not that he actually minded driving. He just enjoyed giving his sister a hard time.

"Who drives the taxi?"

"_Drove_, sister of mine. I'm well beyond those days…but I guess if I have to, we'll switch when we stop for gas."

She nodded, and he emitted a small groan.

"Fuck, the last time I drove a taxi was…_shit_, I'm getting old."

"So am I. Can't believe I'll be thirty five next month." Max sunk farther into the seat and curled himself into a ball, pressing his hands against his ears.

"Oh my God, we're turning into our parents." Lucy laughed.

"Not quite. We're not old enough for AARP. That's when you know we're over the hill."

He uncurled out of his ball, but as he sat up, his eyes looked tortured. She looked over at him for a moment, slightly concerned. She knew there were times when he was perfectly fine one second, and completely immersed in a nightmare the next.

"What is it?" she asked.

"…I'm…I'm just imagining us when we're eighty."

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed, but it was out of relief.

"See, you'll be able to settle into old age easy. Jude? Fuck, he'll still be thinking we're the new kids on the block with the hippie shit. _Those blasted wipper-snappers down the street think they're cool with their marijuana…they haven't done ANYTHING until they've tripped out on LSD!_" he said, impersonating Jude in a wobbling, "old-man" voice, scrunching his face up and holding an imaginary cane.

She smacked him, but they both laughed. He was probably right. Jude had become slightly angry at the fact that a new generation of hippies, or bohemians as they were called now, was "replacing" them. His once-called modern art was considered old. Good, but old. There were other outlets, mostly young, innovative artists as he had once been, that the art shops could go to.

"Well, it's been lovely talking to you, sis, but if you don't mind, I didn't get much sleep last night," Max yawned, turning over to face the window.

"What? All the oodles of hookers wear you out?"

He didn't exactly say "yes," but he made a small noise in agreement and grinned. She shook her head in exasperation, but she hadn't realized until now how much she had missed her brother's antics.

--

"Well, this is it," said Rose as she opened the trunk to the taxi. Michelle looked up at the run-down tenant building, raising her eyebrows in slight disdain.

"This is it?" Her mother noticed the scorn in her tone. Handing her one of her suitcases, she put an arm around her shoulders.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but wait until you get upstairs." Michelle shrugged and the two of them walked in. The Village was only a couple hours from their home, but Michelle had only been to Lower Manhattan. She couldn't believe how much the upscale Manhattan differed from the avant-garde East Village. Drab, but elegant pastels transformed into rich, vibrant colors. So, despite the shambled-looking tenant house, so far, Michelle was definitely impressed and amazed.

Rose put her daughter's suitcase and duffel bag at the bottom of the stairs, wiping her hands and straightening up.

"I've got my stuff in the car, can you take these things up? The room is 905," she asked.

"Sure. Where's the elevator?"

Rose grimaced. "Um…there isn't an elevator, dear." Michelle looked up the winding staircase in dismay and sighed, picking up her bags and muttering various expletives under her breath as she made her way up the endless steps.

Just when she thought they were never going to end, she finally arrived at the ninth floor. She dropped her bags and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. Her mother appeared moments later, burdened with her many bags and looking as worn out as she was.

"I can't believe you _lived_ here…like did this every day," Michelle said dubiously.

"Believe me, it was not a fun experience." Rose heaved her bag-laden body over to the door, her daughter right behind her, and knocked.

A striking older woman answered the door. She had thick, fiery red curls that cascaded down her back, though a little gray showed at her roots. Her bright, hazel eyes seemed as fiery as her hair, and she was wrapped in a pink, silk bathrobe. She smiled warmly at them.

"Rose!" she exclaimed in a smoky voice before embracing her mother firmly. Eventually noticing the multiple bags slung across her shoulders, she took a few of them off.

"Here, let me get those," she said, and both of them walked in, Michelle following behind. They set all of their bags down by the door, probably to move them once they got settled.

The woman turned to Michelle and grinned. "You must be Michelle," she said, wrapping her arms around her. Michelle stiffened, feeling a bit awkward at this gesture. The woman laughed a little as she felt her tense up.

"Honey, you probably don't remember me, you were barely tottering around the last time I saw you. I'm Sadie," she said. "Sorry…probably scared the shit out you."

"Yeah," Michelle chuckled. "Just a bit, but it's okay."

"I need to talk to your mom about something…why don't you look around?" Michelle shot an inquisitive glance towards her mother, but she merely shrugged and gave a gesture of encouragement.

As Sadie pulled Rose aside, Michelle found her way into the kitchen, and was a bit taken aback. This was no ordinary kitchen. Effervescent splashes of color covered the walls, twisting and twirling their way over the wood cabinets, and even down onto the linoleum floor in places. It was more a piece of art than a kitchen.

"That would be Jude's work," said a voice behind her. She turned and a small, pretty Asian woman smiled at her from her position on the doorframe.

"Jude?" She vaguely remembered hearing about him.

"Yeah…said he got bored once and just started painting…must be an artist thing…he's the Brit, you'll meet him later. I'm Prudence, by the way," she said, walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"God…" she commented, pulling away from her and taking a good look. "You look just like Rosie…except for those of course." She pointed to her eyes, to which Michelle couldn't help but smile.

Sadie appeared with her mother moments later.

"Okay, Pru, what did you tell her?" asked Rose with a smirk.

"Oh, nothing, just about how she's the spitting image of you," She gave Michelle a wink, "and Jude's random doodles on our walls…where is he, anyway?"

And just as quickly as she arrived, she departed, screaming Jude's name at the top of her lungs. Michelle exchanged confused, but amused glances with her mother.

"Here one minute, gone the next…" Sadie chuckled to herself. "Is all you've seen is the kitchen?" Michelle nodded. "Well, let me give you the rest of the tour, then."

She led them throughout the apartment, which was surprisingly small considering the amount of people it held. Nevertheless, it was much like the kitchen in that it was bursting with color and life. And the various tenants she noticed while walking through seemed to fit right in with the apartment.

Rose turned behind her to watch her daughter look around in awe. "How do you like it so far?"

"It's…trippy," she said in approval. Her mother grinned brightly, and it dawned on Michelle how happy this place must have made her. _Then I came along_ she thought bitterly to herself. But she knew that that fault did not rest on the shoulders of herself or her mother…well, at least partially.

As they came through the living room, a handsome brunette, looking about the same age as Rose, lay sprawled on the couch, a sketchbook in his lap. When he looked up at the new arrivals, he grinned widely and stood up.

"Rosie…god, it's been forever, hasn't it?" he said, embracing Rose tightly and giving her a friendly kiss. From the sketchbook that was in his lap and the unmistakable Liverpudlian accent, Michelle could only assume this to be Jude.

Once he pulled away from Rose, he turned to Michelle and beamed.

"'Chelle? Bloody hell, you've grown up," he said. "I'm –"

"Jude. Jude Feeney," Michelle answered for him. She glanced down at the attire he was wearing. "Never seen without charcoal or paint stains on his clothes."

He chuckled, giving her hair a light ruffle. "Hmph…get that from your mum, did you? Well, that wouldn't be the only thing you got from her. You're just as gorgeous as she was…is."

Rose scowled for a moment, but it was instantly replaced by a smile.

"So, where's your lovely lady?"

"Erm…" he glanced over at Sadie hesitantly.

"She's picking up Max," she answered for him. Rose turned a furious shade of scarlet.

"Is that going to be a major problem?"

"No, no, no," she muttered. "It would've been nice to know before hand, though."

Sadie sighed and shrugged indignantly. "Honey, I figured you would connect the dots and realize that Max did live here, too."

"I know, it's just…" she trailed off, groaning in frustration. Jude, who looked like he was fighting a grin, hesitantly inquired:

"Let me guess, you had to get the bugger out of another fix?"

She nodded and rolled her eyes. Every one the room, except for Michelle, tried their best to suppress their giggles, but were failing quite miserably.

"What?" Rose retorted, scowling a little.

"It's kinda funny how much you do for him," Prudence commented, coming out of another room and plopping down on the sofa. "I thought you hated his guts."

"I don't hate his guts, but I'm not particularly fond of him at the moment-"

"_Rosie_," Jude said in exasperation. "Anyone who goes through that much shit for one bloke must have some affection for the man."

Rose was about to protest, but Sadie waved her arms to stop them. "Guys, guys, she just got here. Let's not have her arrive and leave on the same day. And poor 'Chelle probably thinks we're all nuts."

They all turned to look at the teenager, who shrugged somewhat indifferently.

"Anyway, let's move your stuff into Pru's room, Rose, and 'Chelle…hmm…well, your dad's room is empty right now, but do you mind…?"

"I'll stay there until he comes, then we'll figure something out," Michelle said, to Sadie's relief. She went back to into the hallway to get her things, and moved them into her father's bedroom.

Just by the look of the room, she could tell this is where her father resided. Drawers, some still with clothes in it, stood ajar, and old bottles of beer and ashtrays littered the floor, dresser, and windowsill. As she began to move some of his clothes out of the way for her own, she picked up a particular one with quizzical curiosity. It looked like a woman's shirt. It was beautiful, deep purple with blue fringing the ends of the sleeves, it's silky material coming well down past her waistline. She slipped it on for the hell of it, and the way it fit her and the way it was cut, it was definitely a woman's shirt.

She shrugged and figured it was either her mother's or some other lovely lady who had left it in here by accident. She finished moving his things and stuffed her clothes haphazardly into the drawers, shutting them with great effort.

She flopped unceremoniously onto the bed, her dark hair spilling out behind her. Even his bed smelled like him. A faint scent of cigarettes mixed with something she couldn't place…probably cologne. She sighed and rolled over on her side, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

She couldn't explain how she felt about her father being here. Part of her was hesitant; things were definitely still awkward between the two. Part of her was a little disappointed; she had come here with her mother to escape the problems that seemed to follow him. But part of her was glad. She did want to get to know him better, even if he had never been there for her earlier. He was witty and charming; she understood why her mother, or any girl for that fact, had become so smitten with him.

But how would this work with her mother around? Would they both end up in tears and on their way back to Jersey? Or could they find a way to work this out?

All she could do right now was wait, and she had the feeling no matter what happened, it was sure to be interesting.

--

**There.**

**I'm sorry you had to wait so long.**

**Please review!**


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